Giulia Owner Michael Pagliarini Will Open Benedetto in the Rialto Space

Rialto closed last month after more than two decades at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge’s Harvard Square, and today the hotel announced what would take its place: Benedetto, an Italian restaurant from Michael Pagliarini, chef/owner of Giulia (which will remain open).

Giulia opened in late 2012 between Cambridge’s Porter and Harvard squares, and it has received rave reviews since then for its fresh pasta and warm hospitality. Here on Eater Boston, it’s been a longtime fixture in our collection of 38 essential restaurants around town. Pagliarini was previously executive chef of Michael Schlow’s now-shuttered Italian restaurant Via Matta, and he has also worked under renowned Chicago chef Grant Achatz.

When Pagliarini expands his footprint down the road this fall, his second restaurant will feature "regional Italian cooking," according to the hotel’s announcement, and the space will be completely redone by Bentel & Bentel, a New York-based architectural firm that worked on B&G Oysters and many other restaurants across the country. Benedetto will seat 220, and the design will reportedly take inspiration from the "rural sophistication" of Umbria, a central Italian region whose cuisine features rustic meats, truffles, and seasonal produce. Benedetto will have a bar, a dining room (with a pasta table), and a seasonal patio.

Stay tuned for more details as the fall opening of Benedetto approaches.

• Coverage of Giulia on Eater [EBOS]
• Coverage of Rialto on Eater [EBOS]